Brothers at Arms
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, days 618-620-622-624-626-628-630: Matt is moving away, and Kurt sees no better send off than one last Murder Mystery, all 12 of them.
1. The Case of Two Brothers

_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 29th cycle. Now cycle 30!_

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><p><strong>Hear that little bird twitter!<strong> _Been thinking about doing this for a couple days, then this morning decided to just go for it. If you go there, find 'gleekathon' and there I'll be. There's also a video explaining everything... Yep... ;) Check it out!_

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><p><strong>"Brothers at Arms: 1. The Case of Two Brothers"<br>Kurt & Co, Matt  
>Follow up to "They Keep Killing Brittany" <strong>

One afternoon, with all of them gathered in the Glee room, Matt had asked to say something. Already this was out of the ordinary where he was concerned with them, so the feeling already existed out there that maybe something wasn't right. It didn't take long for them to find out why: he was moving, out of Lima, away from them. After everything they'd been through, with losing Regionals, thinking they would lose Glee Club, their keeping it after all… They had all become like family now, and suddenly they were losing one…

In the days that had followed, the mood felt like it had been sucker punched. Glee practices were more or less disintegrated. It had taken Will telling them that they should try and enjoy the time they had left together that finally turned things around, bit by bit. Still, the words 'borrowed time' came to mind. And then the thought had come to one of them that there was just one way, beyond a big group number, that they could send Matt off properly…

Kurt had been keeping lists of potential murder mystery games, varying in factors and styles, and as he began to think about which one would be best for this time, only one came to mind. So out came the notebook, the envelopes, everything he'd need, and he began casting. It was clear he was going to have to go at it in a bit of a different way from how he'd previously gone. In the past he would put himself in a role with some form of leadership, to maintain an eye on the proceedings. This time though, he knew exactly who needed to be a at the top.

With envelopes in hand, Kurt headed into McKinley the next morning, looking for the 'Hummel Dinner Mystery Company.' If he intended to approach Matt last, finding Puck first seemed all too appropriate. He spotted him, fighting with his locker door. "Problems?"

"It's jammed again," he looked ready to tear it off its hinges.

"Here," he handed him the stack of envelopes and made him step back, taking a shot at getting the door to open. "There's one in there with your name on it," he spoke, nodding to the stack.

"Oh, is it another one of your murder things?" Puck asked, searching for his envelope.

"Yes, and let's not say it so loud if you're going to put it like that," Kurt went on just as he gave a pull and the locker door swung open. "Voilà!"

"How'd you do that?" Puck stared, amazed.

"Long story," Kurt breezed by the subject to get back to the one about the envelopes. "I thought we could have this as a combination murder mystery and going away party for Matt." The moment the topic of Matt's departure came up, and of giving him a proper send off, both with Puck and everyone else, it was like magic words.

"Yeah, definitely," Puck nodded. "So who do I play this time?"

"Oh, you'll like it. You play Johnny Stone, and you and your brother run the family business, although he's older and really in charge, and there's a rivalry. Also when I say 'business'… Well, you're not exactly on the up and up, let's leave it at that," Kurt explained.

"Sweet. Who gets killed? Is it me?" he asked, looking like he almost wanted it to be.

"You'll have to wait and see," Kurt told him before moving off.

Like always, the moment one envelope went out, it was like the ruffle of papers coursed through these halls, scaring out all his players. He was approached by Mercedes, Artie, and Tina, all at once. Again he revealed to them how this game would also be to say goodbye to Matt, and they were on board – more so than they'd already been. So he found their envelopes and began handing them out.

"Okay, here goes. Tina, you play Mae Stone, Johnny Stone's wife."

"Who's Johnny?" she asked.

"Puck… You were the only one he hasn't been involved with in one way or another," Kurt explained with a shrug, while Tina frowned. "Mercedes, you're Gwen Cobb, you're handling the finances for Ricky Stone's crew," he turned to her, and she grinned. "And Artie, you're Mac Reynolds, and you're muscle on Johnny's crew," he gave him his envelope, and Artie looked pleased as well.

"Liking the sound of that," he nodded along, looking to Tina and Mercedes, almost flexing his biceps.

"You're also my brother, as is Finn, but that's all in the envelope," Kurt went on.

"That's all…" he repeated, as though to say 'meaning?'

"You'll see for yourself," Kurt promised. "I should go find the others." The next he found was Mike, and as Kurt rounded the corner he realized there were Santana and Brittany as well. "Hey, feeling better?" his attention turned to Brittany, after what he'd heard had happened the day before.

"Oh, yeah," she assured him, then, leaning in, she whispered, "I was practicing."

"Right, okay," Kurt nodded with her before digging in his pile. "Well, you'll be Sally West, Ricky Stone's girlfriend," he gave her the envelope, and she stared at him, expectantly. "I'm not telling you anything, you'll just have to read up," he maintained, and he caught a brief glimpse of a pout before he turned to Mike. "You'll be Wyatt Ames, part of the 'muscle' on Ricky's crew. And Santana, you'll be Belle Moore, Ricky's right hand… woman," he carried on with her.

"Is that short for…" she started asking, with a smirk that could make priests blush.

"Read your information, I can't be clearer than that," he told her, and the other two, before moving along. Not a minute had gone by that he found Quinn. "Hey, good," he breathed out like she'd be his one tie to sanity. "So I've got our next murder mystery for this weekend, or at least a murder mystery plus going away party for Matt."

"Sounds great," she told him, smiling.

"My thoughts exactly," he told her before holding out her envelope. "You'll be Sophia Willis, you're part of… well, the muscle, on Johnny Stone's crew," he looked at her as he spoke, and she did too.

"Right. I'll do my best," she told him. He only had two more people to find before going to Matt, and he had a good feeling he'd find them together. He found them at Rachel's locker, where Finn was looking through one of his textbooks with confusion swimming in his eyes, riding his brow like a wave. As soon as Rachel saw Kurt coming though, she tapped at Finn's arm so he would look up. Kurt didn't even need to tell them what he was there for, and he just laid out the part about Matt.

"So, Rachel, you're playing Jules Watts, in charge of Johnny Stone's finances… among other things," he spoke scandalously, and she responded in stride. "And Finn, you're Bill Reynolds. You're muscle on Ricky Stone's crew, which is a sore subject, since your brothers Mac and Tom – that's me – are on the opposing side," Kurt explained.

"So am I on the bad guy's side or…"

"We're all bad guys," Kurt pointed out. "But we're good people, too." Leaving them on this, Kurt carried along, with just one envelope in hand. He found Matt in the locker room, sitting on the benches. Kurt sat at his side and handed him the envelope.

"A murder mystery?" Matt asked. "When is it?" he asked like someone who worried he might miss it.

"You'll still be here, don't worry. Actually, there's more to it than just a mystery dinner," Kurt told him with a smile. "This dinner is the Glee Club's way of saying… farewell, and good luck," he explained. Matt looked at him, smiling as well, bordering on emotional. He tapped at Kurt's shoulder to say thanks. "And this time, Matt Rutherford, if for one night only, you get to be the star."

TO BE CONTINUED (SUNDAY)


	2. Ante Mortem

_A/N: Chapter 2! On we go!_

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><p><strong>"Brothers at Arms"<br>2. Ante Mortem**

Kurt arrived at McKinley that Saturday afternoon with a mission. He had four rooms to set up and a dinner to finalize. Carole had offered to prepare the food and bring it in, but Kurt wanted to handle it himself. He had planned everything down to the last detail, wanting to make Matt's going away go down without a hitch. This was going to be their biggest evening yet. They had the space, and they were going to use it.

The first room, the Glee room, would be a communal play area, where the two groups would interact, and where they'd have their dinner. All he needed to do there was to clear the way, set the table in place, with the chairs, and then add settings, glasses, utensils… He set up a sign outside each of the two doors, then moved to the second room, Ricky's crew's place, where they could get together away from the others. He arranged the desks, left costume and prop pieces they might need, placed the sign outside the door, then went two doors down and did the same for Johnny's crew. For the fourth room, he went closer to the home economics class/kitchen. This room wouldn't be marked by a sign; no one would know about it, not until the end: this would be for them, as themselves, New Directions, saying goodbye to one of their own. Instead of setting up props, there were snacks and the likes.

With his rooms set, he went across to the kitchen and began to unload everything: plates, ingredients, things he'd prepared beforehand. He'd been spared from packing pots and pans, knowing he'd find them in this room. He looked at the clock and, satisfied with the time he was making, he carried on.

"Pulling out all the stops?" the voice startled him and he almost dropped his spoon on the floor. He looked up to find Quinn, standing at the door, costume and all. She pulled off her sunglasses with a smirk. "Am I 'muscle' enough?" she asked, cool voice.

"You knocked Matron Murder out of the park last time, now I'm wondering why it took so long before I had you join us," he shook his head with barely concealed amazement at her transformation into Sophia Willis. She just smirked, which brought him back to reality. "You're early."

"I know; I thought you might need a hand." He looked around to the counter, working his inner checklist.

"Well, if you could chop these," he pointed to a heap of vegetables, "and keep an eye on this," he indicated the oven, "I should go change."

"Right, got it, go," she moved to the counter, picking up the knife. Kurt paused, taking in the image of Quinn as Sophia, with a knife in hand.

"Genius casting," he muttered to himself before taking his bag and heading out to change. He was straightening up his suit as he came back into the hall to find… his brothers, 'Bill' and 'Mac,' or until the game would start, Finn and Artie. There was a pause, all of them knowing the story of the Reynolds brothers from their envelopes. Artie wheeled himself just a hint closer to Kurt, away from Finn. "Hey, if you'll just wait here, I'll be back," Kurt told them before returning to the kitchen. Quinn wasn't alone; the vegetables were in peril.

"Hands!" Quinn tried to shoo off Brittany and Santana, who would sneak off bits of what she'd chopped so far. Her scolding didn't seem to bother them. Brittany, as none other than Ricky's girlfriend, had dressed the part, much to the liking of the boys who would be in attendance, as well as the girl at her side. 'Bella Moore,' as Ricky's right hand was both a lady and a quiet agent of trust.

"You two get back there before I run out and have to send someone out for more," Kurt warded off the two girls, not paying attention to the comment Santana made as they reached the hall.

They found their way back to the hall by the Glee room, where Artie and Finn waited, just as Mike and Puck arrived. Mike, as Wyatt Ames, another of the 'muscle' characters, was looking very much the part, but this in no way compared to Puck, their Johnny Stone, who looked like a man in charge… at least, desiring to be more in charge than he currently was. Mike gravitated toward Brittany, something they'd later understand had to do with their characters and how it was his personal job to look out for his boss' girl.

"So where is Big Brother?" Puck spoke up with an inflection in his voice like he was stretching out into his Johnny persona, testing the waters.

"He's not here yet," Santana was the one to answer, and bringing up the subject only served to ground them all in their own personas, not those of their characters.

"I'm going to miss him," Brittany spoke, and there were quiet agreements all around.

"It's always been all of us, for a while now," they turned at the sound of Quinn's voice as she joined the group; Kurt had dismissed her, once he had things under control. She ended up by Artie's side, her partner in the game.

"We can't stay like this tonight," Finn spoke up. "All sad and everything; it would be right."

"No, it wouldn't." They turned, and there was Matt. There was a burst of hellos, as everyone went up to greet him.

"You look amazing," Brittany grinned.

"Thanks," he looked down at himself. "Is everyone here?"

"We're still missing three, I think," Artie replied. "Rachel, Tina, and Mercedes. Kurt's off in the kitchen." Brittany looked in the room at the table, saw the sign, then looked around and spotted more signs.

"We have our own rooms," she pointed out. The others looked and, without really deciding one way or the other, they split off and went in their assigned areas. Ricky's group was nearly complete, save for Mercedes, while Johnny's group only had half of what it was supposed to, with just Puck, Artie… and Quinn. After everything the two of them had just been through, together and apart, it left nothing but a weighted silence, begging for arrivals. This wish was granted when Rachel turned up, looking almost classy as she got set to play Jules Watts, who took care of a little more than Johnny Stone's money. She stepped into that room with just that notion in mind.

"Is Tina here yet?" she asked, and got three negatives. "Good, good, that'll give us time to talk," she moved up to Puck, who stood from the desk he'd been sitting on.

"Oh, this should be good," Quinn chuckled.

"What should be good?" They turned, and there stood their last two missing players. Mercedes, as Rachel's counterpart in Ricky's crew, Gwen Cobb, had a bit of a similar look, though slightly more business-like. Tina, as Johnny's wife, had some of the same aspects as Brittany's costume, only with an added layer of confidence brought by marriage.

"Nothing, it's fine," Quinn played like she didn't know… she didn't know whether the 'affair' between Johnny and Jules was in Mae's information. "You should go on two doors that way," she told Mercedes, indicating where her group was.

"Yes, this is Johnny's house, now," Puck pointed, and got a fair share of eye rolls for his troubles.

"Fine, see you guys later," Mercedes moved off to the other room, where 'waiting for Mercedes' turned into a session of 'try and teach Finn how to dance.' Matt stood on one side of him, Mike on the other, while Santana and Brittany faced the boys, and all together they moved, careful, so he could keep up.

"Do you have a third left foot hidden in there somewhere?" Santana asked him, which got a snort of laughter out of Brittany, then the boys… even Finn. Mercedes didn't even have time to announce her arrival before Kurt popped his head in.

"Guys? Hey, Mercedes. Guys, if you'll follow?" he addressed the group, Mercedes, and then the group again. They filed out, saying hello on the way. Matt was the last out, and Mercedes gave him a quick hug, escorting him to the Glee room.

"How are you doing?" she asked him.

"I'm just glad to be here. The house is a mess, boxes everywhere, and my mother's just losing it," he shook his head. She tried not to laugh, despite the image he'd put in her head.

As the twelve of them had gathered, Kurt went to speak, but then stopped and looked to Matt. "Well, the floor's all yours." Matt looked nervous, but he nodded and everyone looked to him.

"So Johnny's invited… well, me, and my crew over for dinner, to discuss the family business, then the Johnny group should go in first," his statement nearly rose into a question as his eyes flicked to the side to check with Kurt; he got a discreet nod. "Okay, so the game starts when you step in the room. We'll follow in a minute." With the rules set, Puck, Tina, Rachel, Kurt, Artie, and Quinn walked in, disappearing into their roles. A minute later, Matt, Brittany, Finn, Santana, Mercedes, and Mike followed. The game was officially on.

TO BE CONTINUED (TUESDAY)


	3. The Brothers Stone

_A/N: For character listing, check out gleekathon on twitter!_

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><p><strong>"Brothers at Arms"<br>3. The Brothers Stone**

Johnny Stone settled in at one end of the table, claiming his space and beckoning his wife Mae to sit at his side. She took the spot, letting her husband take her hand as she took to her chair. On Johnny's other side, his trusted friend and associate, Tom Reynolds. At his side, as always, his brother, Mac, across from his partner, Sophia, who sat next to Jules Watts, kept furthest from Johnny, for none of the reasons a lot of them would assume.

"Looks like my brother is late," Johnny addressed his gathered people, and they all looked back at him, save for Mac and Sophia, always on guard, always suspicious, and they were correct to do so. As Mac looked over his shoulder, and Sophia turned her eyes up, in walked Ricky Stone and his crew. They had them all kept in sight, just as Wyatt and Bill did on their side.

Ricky was known for two things, above all else. He believed in honouring those who earned his respect, and he had no problem showing his lack of respect for those who had either lost it or never had it to begin with… and when he walked into a room, voices hushed, eyes turned.

"Hello, John," he addressed his younger brother.

"Richard," Johnny replied, as though he'd been about to say something like 'fancy meeting you here.' "Thank you for joining us. Please, everyone, have a seat," he indicated the table. Wyatt escorted Sally, Ricky's girlfriend, to her seat, taking his place at Jules' side, though his eyes had skipped a seat over to Sophia for an instant. Gwen Cobb took her place, at the seat opposite her financial counterpart and next to her, much like Johnny's security, Bill sat across from Wyatt, creating a divide between the trio at the head of the table and everyone else. Across from Sally, Belle Moore was at her boss' side, and at the head, staring straight at his brother, there was Ricky.

Kurt had to call for a pause in the game then, when he realized he'd overlooked one crucial part of this night… No one had been tasked with serving dinner, which currently sat in the home economics kitchen. "Just… talk amongst yourselves," he instructed the others, signalling for Tina, Quinn, and Rachel to come help him with the plates. "Actually, maybe stay quiet," he considered, not wanting them to carry the game on without them, or to sink into more 'Matt is leaving' sad talk. After making sure they could carry three plates each so they could serve everyone in one trip, they got to take their seats again, and this lapse in judgment was forgotten: they were in the Stone Brothers' world again.

"I was really… touched… by the invitation, really," Ricky spoke up first. "Especially since the last time you didn't send Chuckles over there to do your business," he indicated Tom, "It was… right here, after Dad's funeral. And we know how that ended."

"Yes… You stole one of my men," Johnny tilted his head toward Bill, showing that, not unlike his brother Ricky, he didn't take too kindly to betrayals. Bill Reynolds didn't shy away from this though; he stared back at his former boss, no regret, and ignored the glares he got from his own brothers.

"Bill knew what he was doing. I didn't have to steal him," Ricky replied, shrugging.

"Alright, boys, enough," Mae Stone put a hand on her husband's arm, one of few people who wouldn't lose their own arm for doing this. "Let's just eat before it gets cold."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Johnny looked back at her. "But even our own mother didn't decide to show up for this," he pointed out, and there was a chill running along the table, going back all the way to Ricky. Bringing their mother into the argument wasn't going to help any.

"Probably didn't want to see the shame her younger son brings to this family, day after day," Ricky shot back, and the whole table following this like a tennis match.

"Talk about bringing shame? What about her?" Johnny indicated the girl at Ricky's side.

"Leave Sally out of this," he took her hand as she bowed her head. "We're getting married."

"Not in this house," Johnny reacted.

"In any house I'd like. Or do you want me to start pointing fingers? You know where it'll go." Jules momentarily lost grip on her fork, picked it back up.

"Please, let's just eat," Belle cut in, looking to her boss, and Sally took that cue, backing her up by putting her hand over Ricky's. He nodded to himself.

"Right, yes, let's eat," he held his glass up to everyone, who cautiously turned to Johnny, hoping he would toast back, as the alternative was potential for nothing but violence. Thankfully, he slowly raised his glass, keeping his brother's gaze.

One of them, before becoming someone other than themselves, had found tin box in their locker, two days prior. Inside, they had found a small but powerful prop, along with explicit and specific instructions on how to use that prop, and when to use it.

Dinner ended without incident, though extremely quietly, and while many of them waited for dessert to be brought in, once the dinner plates were taken away, they had quickly scattered, the two groups pooling in the same areas, though not everyone was within sight of everyone. Only Tom Reynolds 'knew' that if there was dessert to be had on that night, it was for New Directions, later, not for the brothers Stone or their crews.

The brothers had returned to the common room, most of them had, but much like before, the others were quiet, observing, bracing, making it like there could have been no one else in the room but Ricky and Johnny, and everything would have been the same. Something was going to have to break the tension, but instead, the tension exploded like it had been wrapped around explosives. It began with a cough, deep in the hall.

Ricky had just turned toward his brother, prepared to say something, good or bad, when she appeared at the door, and instead his voice was aimed to her. "Sally?" he moved to her, just in time to catch her when her footing ceded. The security on both sides became on edge, and the others either followed this sentiment or melted in panic, all except Ricky, who supported her, and Mae Stone, who stepped up to help.

"It's alright, it's alright, let's get you to a chair," she nodded to Sally, trying to be reassuring, but even she could see the wild, lost eyes… this was a losing battle. Sally tried to regain her feet – or what could also be seen as aiming – and within seconds something spewed from her mouth and splashed on the ground, red and blood like. The gasps swallowed the sound of her slipping out of Ricky and Mae's grasp and crashing to the ground.

"Sally!" Ricky got down on his knees, picking the limp body in his arms, giving the slightest of shakes in hopes to raise her, but there was no use. "Wake up," he begged. "Come on…" Belle came to kneel by him, put her hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off, still looking into the half-opened eyes, the face splashed with droplets of the 'blood' which he cradled in the palm of his hand… The room was so silent that they could hear him still whisper to her, whisper his last words to the woman he loved, already departed.

"Ricky…" Belle tried again, and after a moment, he looked up. Everyone was staring at him, at them… Ricky's eyes sought out his stone-faced brother.

"Nobody leaves this room," he spoke with authority. "Not one." He wasn't looking at them, but it was clear his words were directed to Wyatt and Bill, who stood to attention, facing the others. Ricky picked up the body and carried her off into the hall and then the room with his name outside, where she promptly 'came back to life.' Matt put Brittany back on her feet, and she stretched.

"How did I do?" she asked, excited. He looked to his hand, to the substance which had transferred to his skin from touching her face.

"What is this?"

"I didn't think they'd work. Kurt left them in my locker a couple days ago," she reached in her pocket and pulled out the tin box, showing the small capsules.

"Fake blood," he smirked. "That's awesome."

"You should go back there, it's your game," she smiled. "I have to change."

"Okay," he nodded, moving back into the hall.

He took a moment, letting himself sail back from 'Matt' to 'Ricky' again. He stepped into the room where his absence had apparently seen no more than the odd hushed whisper between some of them. Ricky was approached by Belle and Gwen; Mae had returned to her husband's side, whether she wanted to or not. The grieving man would not rest on this grief for too long, his anger boiling over.

"Of all the rotten things you've done," he seethed, staring at his brother. "This is the lowest." Johnny stood tall.

"Hate to disappoint, big brother, I know how much you love to blame me for all your problems. But I had nothing to do with what happened to your girlfriend."

"She was going to be my wife!" he shouted, catching everyone off guard. "She was going to be my family, because you sure as hell wouldn't be!" Johnny started shouting back, but then so did Ricky, so much so that no one could make the words out.

"Boys!" a voice cut through, and everything stopped. They found the woman at the door, blonde and sleek. No one seemed to know how to react to her – one might say they had no idea who she was (supposed to be) – and they waited. No one knew this was Michaela Stone, Micki to most, and to Ricky and Johnny… "Behave for Mother."

TO BE CONTINUED (THURSDAY)


	4. Brother vs Brother

_A/N: Updated character listings will be available on gleekathon twitter!_

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><p><strong>"Brothers at Arms"<br>4. Brother vs. Brother**

No one moved, all eyes on Micki Stone. It was a good bet to say that they weren't moving because they didn't know yet how to interpret this most recent turn of events. Of all the people they could have imagined would walk through that door, she was far from it. As everyone remained so locked into their spots, she made the first move, approaching her two sons, who stood just inches away from one another, bracing to start throwing punches. Micki reached to touch Ricky's cheek with one hand, and Johnny's with the other.

"Why are my boys fighting?" she asked, looking to both of them. "Speak," she insisted. Ricky bowed his head, breaking off from her touch, taking a step back and then turning again.

"Sally's dead…" his voice was low but audible.

"Sally?" she asked at first, as though she didn't know who that was, but then she nodded. "Oh, yes, I… Wait, dead? What happened, when?" she asked, putting her hands on her eldest son's shoulders now.

"Don't know…" Ricky looked to be fighting a losing battle against tears, but he was hanging on with all he had. "It was just before you arrived." His eyes turned back to Johnny. "Is this why you invited us here then? So you could have a clear shot?" he seethed.

"I never touched her," Johnny held his hands in the air.

"What, too busy touching Jules instead of your wife?" Ricky threw back, like a three-way slap that hit Johnny, Mae, and Jules.

"Johnny?" Mae asked, from a few feet away, arms crossed before herself. He didn't speak.

"Like you didn't know," Jules mumbled, but again the room was so quiet that voices carried just fine.

"You don't get to say a word… Actually, I think you need to go," Mae made her stand, and now Jules faced her.

"I'm not going anywhere. Clearly Johnny likes having me around," she smiled, just for an instant before it was changed to horror as Mae launched at her, just barely held back by Sophia and Tom.

"You get her out of here before there's another dead body in here!" Mae shouted.

"Why don't we get you a drink?" Tom struggled to keep her from leaping out at Jules, but at the suggestion all the fight went out of her, like it was the only way for her to get some form of relief for the feeling in her, if they weren't going to let her tear apart the one who'd stolen her husband away. By the way Jules inched closer to Mac Reynolds and to Johnny though, the feeling remained that Mae might try at it again later on. For the moment, she moved to the side, hitting the 'bar' which had been set up – if only for show; it would be all up to them to portray just how intoxicated they were getting.

For the others though, the tension remained very much alive, and though no one had tried in any way to address the situation outside of Ricky, someone had to. "Ricky," Wyatt went up his boss, showing himself completely as someone who knew what they were doing, not just throwing suggestions at will. "I understand how you feel, believe me. But I think, as hard as it is to consider any other option, that we should look at the possibility that someone other than Johnny did this. I know deep down you can feel it, too," he went on, all the while seeing the way Ricky still stared down his brother.

"He's right…" The sound of Sophia's voice agreeing, from the other side of the room and the face-off, turned a good number of heads in the process. "We have to know that Johnny would be blamed for this, and that's just what someone might use." They could only agree, something that both Sophia and Wyatt had thought about the moment she spoke. If they weren't careful, one might have clued in to the fact that Sophia Willis would always, always agree with Wyatt Ames on a matter like this, because of a trust they wouldn't let on about to their respective bosses, hardly the only thing they were keeping hidden.

"Suppose I'll believe it wasn't Johnny," Ricky spoke. "Then which one of you did this," he now turned his attention to the rest of his brother's crew.

"We have nothing to do with this," Tom spoke up. "And if you're going to point fingers, about pointing them to the one whose job it was to keep their eyes on our victim here?" he looked to Wyatt.

"I would never hurt her," Wyatt stood up straight at the accusation.

"Then where were you?" Mac asked. There was a second of silence.

"He was with me," Sophia once again tore through the silence. Wyatt didn't move, looking back at her; he would have kept the secret hidden for her sake more than his own, but even then he couldn't hide the pride that she'd gone ahead and done what he'd been unable to do himself, that she had put herself out there rather than let false accusations fall on him. She had said just four words, never had to explain further than those… they knew what she meant, whether they liked it or not.

Johnny approached Sophia, stared her down; 'fraternizing' was nothing he could deal with, especially where his brother's associates were involved. "We need to talk," he bowed his head, then looked to the rest of his group… his wife, making the bar slowly disappear… his mistress, cowering never more than one or two feet away from him… his right hand man and one of his guards, giving the dirty eye to their brother on the other side… his other guard, sneaking off with the enemy… "Right now," he moved to the door, fully expecting them to trail behind… they did.

Before they got to the door though, Ricky moved for the lights, flashing them once – a pause in the game. "This juice tastes like crap," Tina proclaimed, the tipsy stance disappearing, replaced by a frown, tongue sticking out.

"Then why do you keep drinking it?" Mercedes asked.

"It's for the part," she shrugged.

There were a few dashes to the bathroom, as there usually were, midway through a game, leaving clusters of people behind. Santana had pointed out to Brittany that she still had a couple droplets of the fake blood that had stayed behind. Mike and Quinn laughed about their bit of tragic Romeo and Juliet-like love story. Matt just watched them.

He known he was leaving, sure, but it wasn't until this night, this moment, when it really began to weigh on him, the knowledge he wasn't going to see these people every day anymore. They'd try to stay in touch, yes, but eventually they might just forget about him, move on… So would he, of course… All he could hope for though would be that none of them forgot about moments like these, all of them… their Glee family. They had meant so much to him… They needed to know that, really did, before he left.

"By the way, I know we didn't get to it right here, but we will have dessert later," Kurt's voice at his side brought him back to reality.

"Good, that's good," he nodded. "How am I doing? With the game…"

"Doing just fine, keep it up," Kurt promised.

So when everyone had returned, Matt directed for all of them to split off into their assigned rooms, except for Brittany, as Micki wouldn't be included. So she stayed behind, in the Glee/common room, though she knew exactly what it was she had to do, from her second envelope's instructions. And the others went to their rooms where, from the hall, Matt ended the pause and the game resumed.

TO BE CONTINUED (SATURDAY)


	5. Compare Sides

_A/N: character listings still available on gleekathon twitter, two more chapters after this... :)_

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><p><strong>"Brothers at Arms"<br>5. Compare Sides**

"For all we know, it was one of them who did it," Mac said what had silently been on all their minds. "It's the perfect timing, with the ideal scapegoat in place," he looked to his boss, who still only had eyes for the three women in the room.

Jules was maintaining the protection of Johnny being between her and Mae Stone. The jilted wife had brought over a friend from the other room, a half-emptied bottle, which she appeared dedicated to drain. And then there was Sophia, feeling the piercing look she was getting from her boss and keeping as still and as quiet as she could. Still, keeping her job in mind – provided she still had one – she had to speak up.

"I agree," she looked to Mac.

"Oh, so you are still with us then?" Johnny spoke, bordering on sarcasm. "I wasn't sure, I mean, what with your making time with the other side."

"With all due respect, this has nothing to do with you, or my working for you, and everything to do with me and Wyatt," she remained strong.

"You are my business. Your job is to look out for our security, and if I can't trust you, then any one of us could end up like that poor girl."

"Poor girl?" Mae hiccupped in. "Don't tell me, were you sleeping with her, too?" she asked, while throwing an evil eye at Jules, who inched closer to Johnny.

"Keep her away from me?" she mumbled at him.

"Mae, put the bottle down, you're making a fool of yourself right now," Johnny reached for the bottle, but she yanked it right out of his reach, backpedalling at once.

"No, no, no," she waved her finger in his face. "Do you have any idea what it takes to be married to you? I've taken enough critici… cisms… criticisms, but I've had enough. This is the last straw!" she gestured at Jules, shaking the bottle, which swished, the contents violently threatening to splash out. "Enough…" she zigzagged her way to the nearest chair. There was a moment of silence, while the awkward silence took them all up again.

"Well, what happened?" Tom spoke, finally. "I mean she wasn't shot. She wasn't stabbed."

"She couldn't breathe," Johnny put in, thinking back. "And then… the blood," he gestured to his mouth.

"Poison?" Jules asked, looking briefly panicked. "But we all ate together. You don't think…"

"If that was the case, we would have felt something by now," Mac pointed out. Jules nodded, though she still felt at her throat, like she expected it to just close up and deny her air.

"So she was targeted then," Johnny carried on. "This was no accident, not Ricky's girl. They wanted her dead," he declared.

"Why?" Sophia dared to speak up. Johnny still didn't sound too pleased of this, but under the circumstances he let her go on. "Either they wanted to hurt Ricky, to send him a message, or there was something about that girl that was worth eliminating her for."

"Well, we have no means to prove that one," Johnny stared off into nowhere.

Two doors down though, there were the people who could possibly answer that question. As Ricky sat, surrounded by what was left of his crew, all their eyes on him, he looked on the losing end of a struggle to keep his emotions in check, as the loss truly began to sink in, the idea that he would never see his dear Sally ever again, not her smile, not her light.

"She was good to me," he spoke, not to anyone in particular. "Who would have thought… a guy like me, and a girl like her…" he shook his head. "It's my fault. I brought her into this world, and it got her killed," he got up, needing to move, to do anything but sit there and end up bursting into tears, which he still just might have done.

"Don't say that," Belle shook her head.

"Why shouldn't I?" he turned back to stare at her, looking practically wounded that she should suggest otherwise. "This happened because of me, because she was with me."

"It could, I don't deny that," Wyatt piped in. "It's always a possibility, but… I have to ask, is there any reason anyone would go after her, only her?"

"Sally had nothing to do with this," Ricky insisted.

"Fine, alright," Belle carried on. "What about your brother? Do you still think that he…"

"Honestly, I don't know anymore," he ran a hand through his hair, exhausted. But then he sighed, admitting both to them and to himself. "Probably not."

"Okay, so if we rule out Johnny, what about the rest of them in there?" Bill asked.

"Like your brothers?" Gwen looked to him, and he bowed his head.

"It's not their style. If they've ever taken someone out, it was clean, no…" he hesitated, looking to the back of Ricky's head. "No pain."

"This was a message, had to be," Wyatt looked to his boss, who raised his head, taken by thought for a moment before he moved toward the door.

"Ricky?" Belle asked, but he waved her off – there was something he had to do.

As Ricky moved into the hall, before turning, he knew when he did he would find his younger brother, standing outside his own door, looking back at him. They took careful step toward one another, stopping within talking distance; this was only part of the battle if they were going to 'talk.'

"I meant to say… sorry… about your loss," Johnny spoke first. The length of their feud still weighed heavily on their faces, but then so did this cautious approach at a possible truce.

"Thank you," Ricky spoke.

"So here's what I'm thinking. Can we agree neither of us was responsible for this?" Johnny asked, and after a moment Ricky nodded. "Then that means it's one of them. If we're going to resolve this, then there's just one way." He stopped there, letting Ricky take it on.

"Bring them together," he agreed. It took him a few seconds more, staring at his brother's face, but then he did something he never thought he would do.

He held out his hand, held out peace. And Johnny took it.

TO BE CONTINUED (MONDAY)


	6. Two Sides Unite

_A/N: Final chapter on Wednesday!_

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><p><strong>"Brothers at Arms"<br>6. Two Sides Unite**

When Ricky returned to his room to gather his group, asking them to follow, the last place they thought they would end up was among Johnny and his crew. The others had their own surprise when they showed up.

"We are going to figure this out together," Ricky announced, as Johnny came to his side. There were some voices sounding in hushed surprise. "And if this leads us to one of you in this room, then I've got just one thing to say… You will be answering to me. My Sally will get her revenge." There were no voices here, only a shiver that crashed over them like a wave.

"It had to have happened before or after dinner," Mac offered.

"Did she seem alright before or during dinner?" Tom asked.

"Perfectly fine," Ricky nodded.

"So we have to assume this happened after dinner, while everyone was moving about, waiting on dinner," Wyatt added.

"When did you last see her?" Sophia asked Ricky. He paused, thinking about it, reminiscing so he could capture this last moment, rather than the image of her collapse.

"As everyone got up and scattered, she went off to the bathroom. She said she'd be right back, I said I'd hold her to that, then she gave me a smile and… next time I saw her…" he didn't need to explain further.

"Did anyone see her there?" Johnny asked everyone. No one gave any sign that they had, except…

"I wasn't in there, but I saw her come back out," Gwen revealed. "Come to think she did look a bit off, but… I thought she'd just had too much to drink at dinner."

"No, she gave that up years ago," Ricky shook his head.

"Maybe we should check it out…" Jules offered.

"Alright then, field trip!" Mae held up her bottle, marching toward the door before Johnny stopped her and brought her back to sit. "Get your hands off me!" she batted her arms until he let go. "Fine, leave me behind if you have to!" she plopped back on her seat and carried on chugging.

"Right, come on," Johnny directed them out in the hall and toward the bathroom. "This one here?" he pointed and Gwen nodded. He pushed the door open, the ten of them looking in. Ricky was the first to go in, followed by Belle, then Wyatt, Bill, and Sophia, while the others stayed at the door, so not to crowd the room. There was some hesitation before they started to check the room over, seeking some kind of proof of whatever foul play had taken place there that led to Sally's death.

Ricky looked around, but it wasn't the search that caught his eye, it was to see Wyatt and Sophia, working together. He'd always known Wyatt to be dedicated to his job, trustworthy, one of the best. But lately there had been times when he had been distracted. He didn't question it, but it had been on his mind. Seeing him now though, working side by side with Sophia, he had never looked so on point.

"Do I have to look through the trash?" Belle turned to Ricky, looking momentarily like Santana was surfacing as she stood in front of the can.

"Ricky, I think I found something," Bill spoke up.

"Oh, thank you," Belle burst out.

"What is it?" Ricky asked. Bill handed over the empty tin box, long and thin. Ricky looked at it, like he was remembering something but hadn't quite worked it out. Before he could get there though, everyone started to pause and turn, as they heard shouting in the distance.

"Mae…" Johnny recognized one of the voices and started back to find where she was, now also recognizing the second voice as that of his mother, Micki; they were in the common room. Everyone else ran after him, reaching the room to find the two in a heated argument.

"You always thought I wasn't good enough for your little boy," Mae had her finger pointed to her mother-in-law, the now empty bottle swinging from her other hand.

"I never hid that," Micki just carried on smirking.

"You made my life a living hell even before I said 'I do.' I never did anything to you."

"That's what you think," Micki shrugged.

"Well you'll be happy to know you won't have to deal with me much longer, because your son is nothing but a cheater and a liar!"

"I won't hear you speak about my son that way!" the smirk dropped away instantly.

"Then plug your ears!"

"Mae!" Johnny stepped up.

"Oh, look, it's the great stallion!" she threw out her arms, accidentally losing grip of the bottle, which smashed on the ground. She startled, needing a moment to resettle into her character. "You heard me. And then you'll hear from my lawyer. You'll be lucky to stay in business when I'm through with you." She turned to Jules. "You can have him. Good luck with her," she waved her arm toward Micki.

"Alright, enough!" Ricky moved up to stand by his brother. "My girlfriend, the woman I was going to marry, was murdered right here, by someone in this room, and all you care about is some affair even I knew about!" Mae gasped, but Ricky held up his hand to hush her, waving the tin box in the process.

That was when he saw it… a flash… recognition… in his mother's eyes. It only lasted an instant, but he saw it. He looked to Johnny; he'd seen it too, and as they looked to one another, the brothers understood something. And they were going to draw it out together.

"Mae, what did you mean when you said she made your life a living hell?" Ricky asked her. Mae looked up, surprised that they should call on her.

"I never thought she liked me, from the moment I met her, but I just thought she was being protective of her son. But then on the day of the wedding, she tried to kill me!" she accused.

"I did not," Micki lifted her chin.

"You did! And if Mac and Bill hadn't walked in you might have succeeded! You've been sour ever since then like you were itching for a do over!"

"Are you going to let her speak to me like that?" Micki looked to her sons, frowning.

"I'm pretty sure I will. Ricky?" Johnny looked to his brother, who took a step forward.

"It was you, wasn't it? You killed Sally." She went to speak, no doubt to deny the accusation, but he held up the box again, getting the same look to flash across her face. "This is yours. I remember it now, you had it when we were boys," he looked to his brother.

"And wasn't that around the time Mrs. Whittier died?" Johnny asked. "Our old nanny?"

"That woman thought she could fool around with your father and get away with it," Micki blurted out.

"And what about Sally? What did she do?" Ricky forged on.

"She was going to take my boy away, just like that one!" her finger shot out to Mae. The room fell silent. Micki knew she was caught.

"What do you want to do?" Johnny asked, sounding like he believed Ricky would want to kill her, and as much as he believed in retribution, he had concerns on doing this to his own mother.

"Something we've never done. Send a Stone to jail."

TO BE CONCLUDED (WEDNESDAY)


	7. Farewell, Brother

_A/N: Final chapter! And tomorrow is the start of a new cycle! :D_

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><p><strong>"Brothers at Arms"<br>7. Farewell, Brother**

Micki was taken into the custody of both sides' security, ready to be taken away, but with a look to his brother, Ricky spoke up. "Wyatt, Sophia," he called them back. They stepped up, eyes forward, ready to take on whatever punishment their respective bosses saw fit. It never came.

"You have two choices. You can leave, together, do as you please. Or you can choose to stay, become part of a new age in this family." The pair's eyes turned to look at the brothers; Johnny was looking at Ricky, who turned back to him. "How about it, John? Think we can turn this around?" he held out his hand. Like before, all eyes were on them.

"I think we can, Richard," Johnny finally put his hand out and shook his brother's. There was a collective cheer, somewhere halfway between being in and out of character.

"First order of business: Bill, Mac, Tom, over here," he indicated where Wyatt and Sophia stood, so the pair moved off, hand in hand. Now the Reynolds brothers took center stage. "I'm making you the same offer. You can leave, or stay and work things out. And if I can speak for Bill," he indicated his man. "The choice he made, to come work for me, is not one you should rest on. Fact is, he's been looking out for you, whether he knew I knew or not." Mac and Tom looked to their brother. No words were said, but the message was clear. Finally, there was a pause. "Sally would always tell me what a shame it was, that me and Johnny were pulled apart this way. Whatever happens now, let's honor her, and make something she would be proud of," he spoke evenly. Slowly, people left their sides, gathering in the middle, as one.

The lights flashed, and all turned to find it was Brittany's doing, by Matt's signal. "Well, as they say in show business, that's a wrap on Matt Rutherford in the New Directions Murder Mystery company." Everyone cheered for him. "But if you're ever back in Lima, we'd be happy to have you back, Kurt went on.

"Yeah, no doubt," Matt smiled.

"Now, if I may direct everyone this way, the party is not over," Kurt moved to the door, leading the group to the last room he'd set up. It was a surprise to everyone.

"Cake, thank goodness," Tina gasped. "Need to get the fake booze taste to go away. Said cake was served around, music played. There were proper drinks waiting for them when they needed them, though all in moderation; they didn't want to lose access to their Mystery play area.

"So if I played both the victim and the killer, does that make it like… suicide?" Brittany frowned as she was passing cake plates around. The question remained unanswered; not as though they knew how to respond to it.

"You guys were really good," Rachel complimented both Matt and Puck, the brothers Stone.

"Thanks," Matt smiled, while Puck opted for a mock bow.

"Yeah, you really took charge. I was impressed," Kurt carried on.

"I know I don't really talk a lot," Matt nodded slowly.

"Yeah, for sure," Mike smirked, and Matt and the others standing around him laughed.

"I still can't believe you're leaving us…" Rachel spoke, returning the mood squarely in sadness. "We had this second chance, to get the club going again, and now…"

"Well you're going to make it through Regionals next year, I'm sure," Matt nodded. "And then Nationals." The smiles returned there, voices cheering in agreement. "But it is going to feel strange, not coming to Glee Club anymore," he admitted. "I mean I had football, basketball, all of that… But none of them felt like being here," he spoke, taking this up-and-down rollercoaster of emotions back for another nose dive.

"Alright, let's not do this," Santana cut in. "We're not going to stand around and mope about this now. We are going to have this party, and if I see one of you cry, you're going down before you get me started…" the last part trailed off slightly, the better not to let them all hear. "Okay? Alright," she cranked up the music, and so they got to dance, leaving behind the impending separation.

By the time all was said and done, it looked as though Kurt wouldn't have much to bring back home, all food was eaten, all beverages consumed… This left everyone with varying degrees of general 'merriment,' fuelled by sugar and/or alcohol, and zero desire to cry, only to see their friend, their club mate, their brother go off to this new life of his, outside of Lima. Kurt would stay back to clean up and close up, along with Quinn and Mercedes, but not before they'd said their goodbyes to Matt. Those took place, of course, in the Glee room. They stood there, quietly at first.

"Should we sing?" Brittany spoke up.

"No…" Finn replied. "Our last song together was pretty great as it was, I think... It meant so much to all of us, to Schuester… It's our last song," he nodded, and there was quiet agreement.

"I think we should do something though," Artie rolled up to the chairs, lined up in a couple of rows facing the piano. He took hold of one and dragged it over to the group. "Tina, can you get that marker over there?" he pointed, and she went to get it. Once she did, he took the marker and handed it to Matt before flipping the chair over, presenting the underside of the seat. "Sign here." Matt hesitated, but then smiled and did as told. Once he was done, Artie brought the chair back to its place. "This is your place," he nodded. Whether you're here or not."

"Isn't that vandalism?" They turned back, finding of all people that it was Puck who made the comment.

"What they don't know won't hurt them," Rachel shook her head.

"Besides, what are they going to do, expel him?" Santana added, getting a laugh.

"I should probably go," Matt told them. "I promised I wouldn't get home too late. We still have a lot to do before we go." There were some disappointed sounds, but they all lead him out to the door, seeing him out of McKinley High for the last time, a Glee Club united.

THE END


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